Most of us would look at a 473-horsepower rear-wheel-drive coupe the size of a Honda Civic hatchback and think, “Alright, let’s party.” It’s a rock-solid recipe for speed, but it’s hard to ignore how some people crave more. Whether you call them discerning or desensitized, they’ve pushed the limits of the latest and greatest and came away wanting a bigger rush, a Red Bull Vodka in a league of lagers. Well, good news: The pack-a-punched BMW M2 CS is back, but in a decidedly different way than before.
The mission is still the same: a lighter, sharper, harder version of BMW’s baby M-car. However, as times have changed, so has the context of this low-volume instrument for reasonably well-heeled speed merchants. The difference in equipment over the standard M2 is slimmer than on the old M2 CS, there’s no option to row your own gears, and it’s hard to ignore that the new car is simply bigger and heavier than the old one. Did the engineers still craft a scalpel though? Let’s find out.
[Full disclosure: BMW Canada brought this M2 CS to AJAC TestFest, an annual event put on by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada as part of the run-up to and evaluation for Canadian Car of the Year. Food and lodging were provided by the Association.]
The Name Game
The “CS” in M2 CS stands for Competition Sport, but don’t think of this thing as an M2 race car for the road. See, the last time BMW tried selling a homologation special en masse, E30 M3 coupes were glued to the floors of American showrooms to the point that the only Euro-spec E36 M3s North America got were part of a rogue effort by BMW Canada. While a straight-four was part of the touring car package at the time, it was a hard sell when consumers could buy a six-cylinder E30 325i for less. Indeed, the actual M2 Racing car features a two-liter B48 inline-four boosted to 313 horsepower. That’s just not enough for most street car buyers, which is why the M2 CS cranks up BMW’s S58 twin-turbocharged three-liter straight-six to 523 horsepower. That’s 50 more horsepower than the standard M2. Torque is also up to 479 lb.-ft., which might be part of the reason BMW went with an eight-speed ZF 8HP automatic as the only transmission here. A cardinal sin? Perhaps, or maybe it’s just a matter of gearbox torque capacity.
Complementing the extra power, the M division has pulled 97 pounds out of the M2 CS over a standard M2 thanks to loads of carbon fiber and lightweight wheels, although it’s worth noting that some of the carbon options including the seats and roof can be ordered on a standard M2. Still, this thing’s a story of little tweaks. It sits slightly lower on slightly different spring rates matched to slightly different damping. It has a slightly broader torque curve, a slightly more aggressive standard wheel and tire setup, and slightly meaner styling. So are the tweaks to the BMW M2 CS additive? After all, if you change enough slightly, you should end up changing a whole lot.
Tonight, Make Me Unstoppable
Ever thought about unleashing a colony of termites on someone’s timber-framed house? That’s the sort of voraciousness we’re talking about here. The M2 CS just has this phenomenal blend of agility and stability through a slalom, more pointed, eager, and neutral than a standard M2. Turn-in for hairpins is simply immediate and perfectly accurate, partially a function of light-speed variable-ratio steering and partially aided by real suspension tweaks and special tires. The optional carbon ceramic brakes are mega too, with shockingly natural pedal feel for a brake-by-wire setup. Want to drop an anchor through the asphalt? These discs and pads can do it again and again and again.
Of equal importance, the CS treatment finally gives the G87 M2 the electronically variable limited-slip differential calibration it always deserved, one so aggressive the tires chatter like teeth in an Alaskan winter while parking. During Canadian Car of the Year testing, BMW specifically instructed that the stability control stay on. Unfortunately, nobody told me until after I’d had a bit of fun. Part of the joy about the old M2 was that it was easy to skid around like a Jack Russell Terrier on a freshly waxed linoleum floor. While the standard G87 M2 has lost a big chunk of that feistiness unless you’re being deliberate, the M2 CS gives you the feeling that you could casually decimate three, maybe four pairs of rear tires before lunch, all with the confidence you’d feel if your family’s name was on the office tower you work in.
However, the talents of the M2 CS don’t just relate to cornering. It breathes with the road remarkably well compared to certain other M products, displaying impressive nuance over broken pavement for its species. Oh, and of course, it’s quick enough to recalibrate your butt dyno. The official naught-to-60 is on the spicy side of four seconds, and there’s no real reason to doubt that. After all, the results of hitching 523 horsepower to a quick-shifting close-ratio eight-speed automatic, then bolting this arrangement into a 3,770-pound coupe should be predictable.
Pitch-Corrected, Computed Emotion
As impressive as the M2 CS is, it has something that can prevent it from really getting under your skin. It’s not the bondage gear bucket seats that make up for thigh-spreading action with bolstering more secure than Fort Knox, nor is it the deletion of many interior storage solutions, nor is it iDrive 8.5 still being a mental assault of menu structures designed to confuse, nor is it the eye-watering price tag of $99,775 including freight, or $127,555 in Canada. That’s a $30,400 premium over a base M2, but the CS is thirty grand angrier, thirty grand sharper, thirty grand more precise, thirty grand more violent. No, the contentious issue is that the M2 CS is almost too obedient. It’s all action, but great driver’s cars are masters of small talk.
Obviously, the days of shivers through the wheel tapping out Dickens about the exact surface characteristics of the parking deck you’re trundling along on doing ten miles-an-hour are gone thanks to regulations pushing for lane assistance and the mass-damping characteristics of the electric power steering systems that support such technology, but is it wrong to ask for the steering in a performance car to tell you about camber changes in the road? Is it wrong to want a bit of warning through the controls about when an axle’s about to lose grip before you hear rubber chattering? A certain lightness when the rear starts to go, a real wind-up before the front tires relinquish their grip. Weight to the helm that builds with cornering load rather than speed. It’s a fair desire.
Worship And Tribute
Is the new M2 CS the Ultimate Driving Machine? If we say that driving is the process of getting from one place to another behind the wheel of an automobile, then the answer is unquestionably yes. From the footprint to the grip to the sheer pointedness of the chassis setup, the new G87 M2 CS is as close to teleportation as you can get with a roundel on the nose. Sweepers, hairpins, bumps, straights, this thing devours all of them. However, in the pursuit of such an end, I can’t help but wonder if someone in Munich has forgotten what Freude am Fahren really means. Driving pleasure is a multifaceted thing, and from closed courses to the limits of the public road, the new M2 CS is defined by capability, not character. It’s a car everyone ought to respect, a seriously impressive accomplishment, but respect and love aren’t the same thing, right?
In a way, this thing reminds me of the Honda S2000. Supremely capable, untouchable in its class when driven hard, yet home to several ergonomic quirks and unwilling to make small talk when you’re just ambling about. Then again, loads of people think the Honda S2000 is the best roadster of all time, so the new M2 CS shouldn’t have any trouble finding its fair share of fans. So yeah, if you like modern M cars, this is the best one you can order right now. Given how the M3 CS was only made for a year, if this thing strikes your fancy, you’ll want to hurry.
Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal
Spicier side of 4 sec 0-60? I would say that can’t be possible. Maybe in the 3 second range. My single turbo B58 (in a G30) can pull 4.7 sec at 335hp. With a JB4 it drops to ~3.5 sec at 450hp.
The ZF 8 speed may seem sacrilegious but is capable.
As someone who also has a JB4’ed B58 G30, I agree. What jumped out at me most was that this M2 CS is only about 100lbs lighter than my car – 2018 RWD.
I’m old/young enough to be a fan of new wave.
But I don’t need 523 HP to get around. I never did. 278 in a Honda Accord is plenty. Actually, more than I need, but I like the concept of “adequate” in the old Rolls-Royce specs days. My car has plenty of power to waft around effortlessly very comfortably and then easily get around a slowpoke. And the other systems in my car are perfectly adequate.
It’s fun to read about excess, I guess, but I am also kind of done reading about $100K compact cars that I would never consider buying. But glad you had a good time.
They took 92 pounds out? What does that make the smallest, lightest, most allegedly driver-focused BMW? 3700 pounds?
Edit: Oh. 3800 pounds. Lol
The regular G87 M2 was a huge step up from the F87 CS when driven hard. I have an order for one of these, but I’m still on the fence, to be honest.
Bought a regular G87 M2 (manual) about 4 months ago. Couldn’t be happier with it
As Chris Harris put it, nobody but BMW is making cars like this anymore — we should cherish them while we still can.
And if you’re all honest with yourselves, the looks have grown on you. The regular 2 series looks completely pedestrian in comparison. The previous M2, although still handsome, is instantly dated by the new one.
Nah. BMW puts the awful grilles on their entire lineup to draw aggro from how hideous they look in proportions and detailing elsewhere. The previous 2 series is a dramatically better looking car.
Agreed.
I’m one of the few who never liked the old M2’s looks. Not sure what it was, but it just never appealed to me. I think the G87 is a better looking car, and by any objective measure, it’s just a better car than the previous M2. Except for the weight that is, but even then, when you actually drive the thing instead of complaining about it online, you don’t really notice the weight that much. I mean, it’s not a Miata or an A110 or something, but it doesn’t feel as heavy as it is.
Dude I hate pretty much any BMW past 2000, but you do you.
I’m not a big fan of modern BMWs but I loved the M2 diesel I rented in Europe. Like a lot; if I were new car shopping it would be right at the top of the list.
But I couldn’t fathom paying that much for one. There are so many options, new and used, at that price point.
And if I’m in a position to spend $100k on a car, then I likely have the budget to spend quite a bit more.
I need to go back to Europe and rent some cars again. It’s been a while. I loved a Peugeot 307 and a Fiat Croma wagon I rented more than a decade ago. Both manuals and both diesels. And both something I wish was available in the US.
I don’t see why BMW couldn’t have used the ZF GS6 gearbox. It can handle 560-600hp just fine in the F10 M5. Power to weight ratio is also about on par. Nice to have the option in an enthusiast car like this
It’s really the torque that’s the issue, not the HP.
This has less torque than the F10 M5, which handles it great without a monster clutch. I don’t see a good engineering reason why BMW couldn’t offer it.
It’s just an excuse, not a real limitation as Cali points out.
Nice Pontiac.
These complaints pretty much cover any BMW with sporting intent from the last ten years or so. Powerful, fast, nimble. but also too heavy, too numb. It just seems to be what the brand is all about these days, and that’s too bad. But at least all of the stupid “the car needs to drive for me” crap explains the electric steering requirement. I hadn’t really considered that.
It’s funny, I’d extend that to the last 25 years. Hell, people were complaining the E36 M3 was too soft compared to the E30 M3 in contemporary comparisons.
Not specific to BMWs (or cars), I’ve noticed that a loud segment of people will complain about anything new, and how it’s not as good as the old thing.
Yep, gaming, cars, sports etc. It’s usually a vocal minority, too, as the product tends to be successful. Oh well, haha.
Stupidly expensive
I think it looks like a Honda Civic owned by a 19 year old dude in Iowa who works at Subway and spent almost the entire value of the car putting a fast and furious bodykit on it.
Shit looks tacky AF.
I was going to say these roll off of the showroom floor looking like they are owned by a 19 year old who is still a junior in high school and has unlimited access to daddy’s credit card.
They even come in colors that look like terrible wraps.
From the front quarter views, it looks like a 370Z to me. I’m sure it’s great car for someone.
Now that you have said it, I can’t unsee it. The only Germans who do styling okay these days are Audi. BMW and MB have both lost their way. Haven’t paid attention to VW.
Regardless, I will never own something German built again. Interesting engineering. Also expensive to maintain.
Sadly, at this point in life, I just want something I can rely on to get me from point A to point B and not leave me stranded somewhere in the middle.
I like the styling, I like the color. It’s way out of my league price-wise, and the automatic eliminates any aspirational appeal it might have had. Also, every time I see a modern-ish bmw I just here the near inevitable shitty burble tune in my head.
It’s the least ugly BMW I’ve seen in a while, I’ll give it that.
BMW’s haven’t been good or good looking since the early 2000s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq2FC3yJsrQ
Tonight, make me unstoppable – The Prayer by Bloc Party?
Indeed! Only managed to make three out of four subheads musical references this time, but I’ll try to hit them all next time it seems appropriate.
My man! quality taste in music and writing style.
I don’t think it’s very good looking. That color is nice and the back end is fine, but without the bar set so low by the M3 I’d struggle to say anything nice about it.
The price is wild. It’s certainly capable, but that much on top of an already expensive M2 is insane.
It’s too heavy, arguably too powerful, and lacking the right transmission. I’d love a more track focused M240 with a little weight reduction, around 400 hp, and a stick.
It wasn’t long ago that the M2 became the new M3 as that got too big and expensive. Now the M2 is there and we need something to fill those empty shoes.
I’m one of the 3-4 car blog inhabitants that actually likes the G87 M2. I think it’s a great looking car, it has an incredible engine, if you go easy on the options it’s vaguely accessible, all in all it’s a very appealing package me. I toyed with the idea of buying one for a while but then we had a baby and…well, it ain’t gonna work with that will it?
That being said I do understand it’s also a very flawed car. It’s way, way, way too heavy, the packaging kind of sucks (how did they make it this big and find a way to REDUCE space for the rear occupants?!?!), and current BMW couldn’t put together a decent power steering rack if their lives depended on it. As someone who’s spent a lot of time behind the wheel of current BMWs let me tell you-despite how harsh journalists are about the steering I still don’t think they’re harsh enough.
It feels like the steering rack is directly linked to giant bowls of pudding. There is absolutely no feedback whatsoever and it feels like you’re in a racing sim, not driving an actual car. I really have no idea how they’ve managed to fuck it up this severely but BMW’s steering racks have absolutely no business being in anything with sporting pretensions. It’s fine in an X5. It’s criminal in an M car.
…but in this case you’re now paying six figures for that flawed experience minus a negligible amount of weight and with brakes that 99.9% of owners will never need that will probably cost 3-5 grand each to replace? Absolutely not. Thats 718 GTS, LC500, or Z06 money.
I’d ask who this is for, but the answer is someone, because people buy these things. Super unhinged limited run M car variants all sell. I personally really like BMWs, but if I had six figures to drop on a car I’m sure as shit not doing it on an M2 or M3 CS, because that’s real, serious sports car money. Or you can buy a loaded Nissan Z and a base X3. The list goes on.
I think modern BMW specifically appeals to the nepo baby/clout chasing crowd in a way that most of us will never understand. Whenever I encounter clips of fast cars doing reckless antisocial shit on public roads if it isn’t a Challenger/Charger or Mustang it’s almost always a bright green or blue M car being driven by a 20 year old. Look up listings for M cars in major urban areas and you’d be shocked how many have rebuilt titles.
My question is how these people afford them. Is the social media money THAT good or do they just have rich parents? Is it a combination? Do they lease weirdly cheap? Regardless, those are the people these are going to wind up with, in addition to tech bros. I don’t think very many actual enthusiasts are gonna drop 6 figures on two or even 3 ton automatic only M cars.
The G87 is a good buy in base spec if going ridiculously fast is your main goal. If someone told me “hey I have $70,000 to spend, no kids, and I want something really fast and competent that I can daily drive but also take to the track” I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend one. Something people also sleep on is the reliability of this powertrain, especially when paired with the ZF8. That combo will easily do 100,000 miles with nothing but preventative maintenance. There will still be assorted German electronic gremlins, but the actual engine is bomb proof and capable of handling way more boost.
But for 100 grand? Nah.
G20 here. The lane departure warning shakes the steering wheel. That shaking feels more convincingly of driving over a rumble strip than actually driving over a rumble strip.
I guess CS stands for Crappy Steering.
I generally like the appearance of the 2 Series, but BMW has totally lost their fucking marbles charging six figures for this M.
I am a lifelong BMW fan, and a G87 owner, and the M2 CS doesn’t make sense to me. I think the regular M2 is already pushing it as far as value goes, and 100k+ for some extra power, better suspension, and fancy wheels makes it a terrible value proposition. I’d take a 718 or a used 911 any day over a $100k M2. Also, let’s be honest, there is no chance that the CS is going to be selling at anywhere near MSRP. When I bought mine in 2023, a lot of dealers were trying to tack on $10k for a regular M2, so I can only imagine the kind of ADM that’s gonna be applied to the CS.
Hi, happy G87 owner here. The combination of the S58+manual isn’t something other automakers come close to, at this price point or even for way more. Put it in a reasonably practical package (for a 2 person household) and I think it’s incredible value.
The $100k+ automatic CS, less so – but this unfortunately more of a “collector’s special” than a real consideration IMO.
The steering criticisms are somewhat valid, particularly at low speeds, but the accuracy, speed, and “darty”ness of the system makes up for it.
I’m consistently shocked at the turn in of this car, especially given the weight. If you weren’t told about the weight, you wouldn’t know. And if you can’t feel it, does it matter?
Damn that thing looks the business
~3800lbs!? This car needs Ozempic. The rumor is if you ditch the giant Trans-Am honeycomb looking 22″ super dubs on this it weighs in at a respectable 3100lbs.
Why is it that we are driving to larger and larger (read: heavier) wheels, in the face of tire technology vastly improving that we’re not getting the gains in handling that we used to see – and now going the opposite direction with rotating mass/ride quality (or needing to heavily compensate for it)?
“Tapping out Dickens”
I’ll take it
I’m sorry, 3770 pounds in just insane for the smallest and lightest M model. A damned C7 corvette is 400 pounds lighter with a 6.2L V8. The M2 is within a couple hundred pounds of the weight of an E39 M5. BMW Bloat is absolutely out of hand.
They’re just trying for parity with their BEV models
A Ford Aerostar XLT Extended would have been 63 pounds heavier than the M2 CS, which means the standard M2 with an automatic transmission would be 34lb heavier than the top-trim Aerostar.